Leo Valdez Reads In The Past About His Future
by azhou1
Summary: Punished by Nemesis. Others can read his thoughts in a book during the war, no one has any choice to not. Can Leo survive this punishment? Or will he be broken forever?
1. Chapter 1

The Lost Hero

Leo POV

Leo was relaxing in his cabin. It's been a while since he relaxed. Suddenly, Nemesis appeared. At first, Leo thought it was Aunt Rosa but that probably wouldn't happen.

Nemesis smirked, "Hello Leo Valdez. I am here to give you the punishment. I will send you to the past, a few weeks after the defeat of the Kronos. The other 7, besides Percy and Annabeth, as they were in the past, will be there. The other part is going to be in a note."

Leo interrupted, "But-"

Nemesis glared, "No excuses. Time will be frozen here. No one except you will remember what happened. Goodbye and good luck." She touched Leo's forehead and he got teleported along with Jason, Frank, Hazel, and Piper. They looked confused. The rest of counselors from the past were there too. So were the Olympians along with Hestia. Leo explained everything that Nemesis said. Suddenly, 5 books appeared on the floor.

Leo picked up the note, "Daer dmeiodgs?"

Frank sighed, "It's dear demigods, here are 5 books of the future. These demigods are also from the future. Read them or else… From, Nemesis."

Athena picked up the first book, "I guess we read. I don't feel like getting revenge from the goddess of revenge." The rest of the council agreed.

Zeus said, "First, introduce yourselves."

Leo smiled, "I am Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus."

Piper said, "I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

Jason continued, "I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter." Zeus flickered to Jupiter before flickering back.

Frank said, "I'm Frank Zhang, son of Mars." Same thing for Ares.

Hazel murmured, "I'm Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto."

Zeus turned to Hades, "YOU DARE!"

Hades sighed, "May I remind you that Jason is in this room." Zeus looked down embarrassed.

Athena said, "I will read first." She began reading

(All bold are from books. Rights belong to Rick Riordan.)

 **The Lost Hero**

 **EVEN BEFORE HE GOT ELECTROCUTED, Jason was having a rotten day.**

 **He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn't know. That wasn't necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but he couldn't figure out who she was or what he was doing there. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think.**

 **A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. They all looked around his age ... fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didn't know his own age.**

 **The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. Jason was pretty sure he didn't live in the desert. He tried to think back ... the last thing he remembered …**

Connor interrupted, "Does he have amnesia?"

Jason glared at Hera, "No."

Hera glared back, "It was important!" Every god glared at Hera. Hera smirked at them before Athena read again.

 **The girl squeezed his hand. "Jason, you okay?"**

 **She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green.**

 **Jason let go of her hand. "Um, I don't—"**

 **In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "All right, cupcakes, listen up!"**

 **The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a**

 **sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"**

Aphrodite and her kids, besides Piper, gagged while the others laughed.

 **"I heard that!" The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on Jason, and his scowl deepened.**

 **A jolt went down Jason's spine. He was sure the coach knew he didn't belong there. He was going to call Jason out, demand to know what he was doing on the bus—and Jason wouldn't have a clue what to say.**

 **But Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. "We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."**

Ares bared his teeth, "I love this satyr."

 **He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.**

 **Jason looked at the girl next to him. "Can he talk to us that way?"**

 **She shrugged. "Always does. This is the Wilderness School. 'Where kids are the animals.'"**

 **She said it like it was a joke they'd shared before.**

 **"This is some kind of mistake," Jason said. "I'm not supposed to be here."**

 **The boy in front of him turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."**

 **The girl blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"**

Travis interrupted, "Wait… A BMW? Wow! You are with us on our next-"

Piper said, "Not interested." Hermes just stared at Piper.

 **"Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You 'talked' the dealer into lending it to you?" He raised his eyebrows at Jason like, Can you believe her? Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this**

 **guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving—drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.**

 **"Anyway," Leo said, "I hope you've got your worksheet, 'cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?"**

Leo glared at Jason, "JASON!"

Jason muttered, "Sorry. Can't control my thoughts."

 **"I don't know you," Jason said.**

 **Leo gave him a crocodile grin. "Sure. I'm not your best friend. I'm his evil clone."**

 **"Leo Valdez!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "Problem back there?"**

 **Leo winked at Jason. "Watch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?" Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his**

 **voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up. The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"**

Hermes and Apollo laughed, "Wow kid. You are talented all right." Hephaestus beamed at his son.

 **The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"**

 **Piper stifled a laugh. "My god, Leo. How did you do that?"**

 **Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."**

 **"Guys, seriously," Jason pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"**

 **Piper knit her eyebrows. "Jason, are you joking?"**

 **"No! I have no idea—"**

 **"Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren't you?"**

Hermes laughed, "Wow Leo. Excellent prank."

Hephaestus glared, "Don't encourage him."

 **Jason stared at him blankly.**

 **"No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take his hand again, but he pulled it away.**

 **"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't—I can't—"**

 **"That's it!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!"**

Percy gave them a sympathetic look, "Awww. That sucks."

 **The rest of the kids cheered.**

 **"There's a shocker," Leo muttered.**

 **But Piper kept her eyes on Jason, like she couldn't decide whether to be hurt or worried. "Did you hit your head or something? You really don't know**

 **who we are?"**

 **Jason shrugged helplessly. "It's worse than that. I don't know who I am."**

Thalia was there bexcuse of her position in the Hunters of Artemis.

She shouted, "Hera!"

Hera barely glanced at Thalia.

 **The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere, Jason thought. A cold wind blew across the desert. Jason hadn't paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker.**

 **"So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful. "We go to the 'Wilderness School'"—Leo made air quotes with his fingers. "Which means we're 'bad kids.' Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prison—sorry, 'boarding school'—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on 'educational' field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?"**

Leo glared at Jason, "You seriously didn't think that wasn't helpful?" Jason didn't reply, wisely.

 **"No." Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what they'd all done to get sentenced to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them.**

 **Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—"**

Piper yelled, "LEO!"

 **"Leo!" Piper snapped.**

Leo asked, "What?" Piper rolled her eyes.

Leo continued, "Once a Piper, always a Piper."

 **"Fine. Ignore that last part. But we are** **friends. Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks—"  
"Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red. Jason could feel his face burning too. He thought he'd remember if he'd been going out with a girl like Piper. "He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."  
Leo scoffed. "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."**

Ares thoughtfully said, "Might work."

Athena glared, "In a movie." Ares couldn't think of a reply.

 **The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often he'd glance back at Jason**

 **and scowl.  
"Leo, Jason needs help," Piper insisted. "He's got a concussion or—"  
"Yo, Piper." One of the other guys dropped back to join them as the group was heading into the museum. The new guy wedged himself between **

**Jason and Piper and knocked Leo down."Don't 'remypartner,remember?"  
The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: do not stare directly at **

**teeth. permanent blindness may occur. He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.**

 **"Go away, Dylan," Piper grumbled. "I didn't ask to work with you."**

 **"Ah, that's no way to be. This is your lucky day!" Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her through the museum entrance. Piper shot one last look over her shoulder like, 911.**

 **Leo got up and brushed himself off. "I hate that guy." He offered Jason his arm, like they should go skipping inside together. "'I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself, but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!'"**

Everyone bursts out laughing.

Conner took out a notebook, "I'm jotting it down."

Leo smirked, "Join the Leo club!"

Jason frowned, "I hate the Leo club."

 **"Leo," Jason said, "you're weird."  
"Yeah, you tell me that a lot." Leo grinned. "But if you don't remember me, that means I can reuse all my old jokes. Come on!" Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up; but he followed Leo into the museum. **

Leo said, "Hey!"

 **They walked through the building, stopping here and there for Coach Hedge to lecture them with his megaphone, which alternately made him sound like a Sith Lord or blared out random comments like "The pig says oink."**

 **Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands busy at all times.**

Annabeth said, "Definitely a son of Hephaestus."

 **Jason was too distracted to pay much attention to the exhibits, but they were about the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai tribe, which owned the museum.**

 **Some girls kept looking over at Piper and Dylan and snickering. Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party.**

 **One of them said, "Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?"**

 **The other girls laughed. Even Piper's so-called partner Dylan suppressed a smile. Piper's snowboarding jacket sleeves hid her hands, but Jason got the feeling she was clenching her fists.**

 **"My dad's Cherokee," she said. "Not Hualapai. 'Course, you'd need a few brain cells to know the difference, Isabel."**

 **Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise, so that she looked like an owl with a makeup addiction. "Oh, sorry! Was your mom in this tribe? Oh, that's right. You never knew your mom."**

 **Piper charged her, but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, "Enough back there! Set a good example or I'll break out my baseball bat!" The group shuffled on to the next exhibit, but the girls kept calling out little comments to Piper.  
"Good to be back on the rez?" one asked in a sweet voice.  
"Dad's probably too drunk to work," another said with fake sympathy. "That's why she turned klepto." **

**Piper ignored them, but Jason was ready to punch them himself. He might not remember Piper, or even who he was, but he knew he hated mean kids.**

 **Leo caught his arm. "Be cool. Piper doesn't like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they'd be all bowing down to her and screaming, 'We're not worthy!'"**

 **"Why? What about her dad?"  
Leo laughed in disbelief. "You're not kidding? You really don't remember that your girlfriend's dad—" **

Athena said, "I doubt that he can remember anything."

 **"Look, I wish I did, but I don't even remember her, much less her dad."  
Leo whistled. "Whatever. We have to talk when we get back to the dorm."  
They reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.  
"All right, cupcakes," Coach Hedge announced. "You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of **

**seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork."**

Katie said, "Only paperwork?"

 **The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.**

 **"Man," Leo said. "That's pretty wicked."  
Jason had to agree. Despite his amnesia and his feeling that he didn't belong there, he couldn't help being impressed.  
The canyon was bigger and wider than you could appreciate from a picture. They were up so high that birds circled below their feet. Five hundred **

**feet down, a river snaked along the canyon floor. Banks of storm clouds had moved overhead while they'd been inside, casting shadows like angry faces across the cliffs. As far as Jason could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it.**

 **Jason got a piercing pain behind his eyes. Crazy gods ... Where had he come up with that idea? He felt like he'd gotten close to something important—something he should know about. He also got the unmistakable feeling he was in danger.**

 **"You all right?" Leo asked. "You're not going to throw up over the side, are you? 'Cause I should've brought my camera."**

Piper punched Leo, "Seriously?"

Leo nodded, "Yep, I'm serious."

 **Jason grabbed the railing. He was shivering and sweaty, but it had nothing to do with heights. He blinked, and the pain behind his eyes subsided. "I'm fine," he managed. "Just a headache."  
Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked him sideways.  
"This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"  
Jason looked up and saw Leo was right. A dark circle of clouds had parked itself over the skywalk, but the rest of the sky in every direction was **

**perfectly clear. Jason had a bad feeling about that.  
"All right, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the storm like it bothered him too. "We may have to cut this short, so get to work! **

**Remember, complete sentences!"  
The storm rumbled, and Jason's head began to hurt again. Not knowing why he did it, he reached into his jeans pocket and brought out a coin—a **

**circle of gold the size of a half-dollar, but thicker and more uneven. Stamped on one side was a picture of a battle-ax. On the other was some guy's face wreathed in laurels. The inscription said something like ivlivs.**

 **"Dang, is that gold?" Leo asked. "You been holding out on me!"  
Jason put the coin away, wondering how he'd come to have it, and why he had the feeling he was going to need it soon.  
"It's nothing," he said. "Just a coin."  
Leo shrugged. Maybe his mind had to keep moving as much as his hands. "Come on," he said. "Dare you to spit over the edge."**

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Boys."

 **They didn't try very hard on the worksheet. For one thing, Jason was too distracted by the storm and his own mixed-up feelings. For another thing, he didn't have any idea how to "name three sedimentary strata you observe" or "describe two examples of erosion."**

Athena began to answer them but Zeus said, "None of us are that smart and we don't care."

 **Leo was no help. He was too busy building a helicopter out of pipe cleaners.**

 **"Check it out." He launched the copter. Jason figured it would plummet, but the pipe-cleaner blades actually spun. The little copter made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.**

 **"How'd you do that?" Jason asked.  
Leo shrugged. "Would've been cooler if I had some rubber bands."**

Everyone looked at Leo, amazed. Besides, Hephaestus and the others.

 **"Seriously," Jason said, "are we friends?"  
"Last I checked."  
"You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?"  
"It was ..." Leo frowned. "I don't recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."  
"But I don't remember you at all. I don't remember anyone here. What if—"  
"You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Leo asked. "You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you?"  
A little voice in Jason's head said, That's exactly what I think.  
But it sounded crazy. Everybody here took him for granted. Everyone acted like he was a normal part of the class—except for Coach Hedge.  
"Take the worksheet." Jason handed Leo the paper. "I'll be right back."  
Before Leo could protest, Jason headed across the skywalk.  
Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The **

**Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw Jason she gave him a look like, Throttle this guy for me.**

 **Jason motioned for her to hang on. He walked up to Coach Hedge, who was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds.  
"Did you do this?" the coach asked him.  
Jason took a step back. "Do what?" It sounded like the coach had just asked if he'd made the thunderstorm.  
Coach Hedge glared at him, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and **

**why are you messing up my job?"  
"You mean...you don't ****know me?" Jason said. "I'm not one of your students?"  
Hedge snorted. "Never seen you before today."**

Hestia smiled, "The Mist isn't effecting him."

 **Jason was so relieved he almost wanted to cry. At least he wasn't going insane. He was in the wrong place. "Look, sir, I don't know how I got here. I**

 **just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."**

 **"Got that right." Hedge's gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. "You got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can't fool me. I've been smelling monster for days now. I knew we had an infiltrator, but you don't smell like a —whoareyou,andwhere'dyoucomefrom?"**

 **Most of what the coach said didn't make sense, but Jason decided to answer honestly. "I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories. You've got**

 **to help me."  
Coach Hedge studied his face like was trying to read Jason's thoughts.  
"Great,"Hedgemuttered."You'rebeingtruthful."  
"Of course I am! And what was all that about monsters and half-bloods? Are those code words or something?"  
Hedge narrowed his eyes. Part of Jason wondered if the guy was just nuts. But the other part knew better.  
"Look, kid," Hedge said, "I don't know who you are. I just know what you are, and it means trouble. Now I got to protect three of you rather than two. **

**Are you the special package? Is that it?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
Hedge looked at the storm. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the skywalk.  
"This morning," Hedge said, "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, **

**but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The two I'm watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then you pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"**

 **The pain behind Jason's eyes got worse than ever. Half-bloods. Camp. Monsters. He still didn't know what Hedge was talking about, but the words gave him a massive brain freeze—like his mind was trying to access information that should've been there but wasn't.**

 **He stumbled, and Coach Hedge caught him. For a short guy, the coach had hands like steel. "Whoa, there, cupcake. You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I'll just have to watch you, too, until the team gets here. We'll let the director figure things out."**

 **"What director?" Jason said. "What camp?"  
"Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before—"  
Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids **

**screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.  
"I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!" "I thought you said this thing was stable!" Jason shouted over the wind.  
"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!" **

Athena said, "End of chapter."

Hestia smiled, "I'll read next."


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Who wants to do the disclaimer! No one.**

 **Me: Fine. I don't own anything**

 **Me: For the reviews, I'll just say that I'm writing more right now.**

Hestia took the book and began reading

 **Jason**

 **THESTORMCHURNEDINTOAMINIATUREHURRICANE. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.**

Percy shouted, "Zeus!"

Zeus said, "I think it's the storm spirits."

Jason nodded, "The storm spirits have a name though." Hestia quickly continued before the conversation becomes an arguement.

 **Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. Jason skidded across the slick floor.**

 **Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.  
"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.  
"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.  
Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her **

**face. Jason thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.**

 **Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back. Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.  
Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.  
"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted. **

**Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm. "Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."  
He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.**

Athena said, "Definitely a monster."

 **"Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward, but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.**

 **"Coach," Jason said, "let me go!"  
"Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."  
"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"  
The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps—like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the **

**head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.**

 **Dylan gave him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."**

 **The coach made an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down."  
"You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."**

Ares said, "I love this satyr!"

 **Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in**

 **midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.**

Hephaestus held his breath.

 **"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"**

 **Coach Hedge cursed and tossed Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. Keep that thing busy"—he stabbed a thumb at Dylan—"while I get Leo."**

 **"Get him how?" Jason demanded. "You going to fly?"**

 **"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Jason almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves—goat's hooves. Which meant those things on his head, Jason realized, weren't bumps. They were horns.**

 **"You're a faun," Jason said.  
"Satyr!" Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."  
Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with impossible agility, finding **

**footholds no bigger than postage stamps, dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he picked his way toward Leo.**

Hephaestus let go of his breath, "I can't believe this but I have to thank this satyr for saving my son."

Leo smirked, "You better thank Coach."

Athena asked, "Coach? That's the name of the satyr? Isn't it Gleeson Hedge?" Leo nodded.

 **"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy."  
Jason threw the club. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge, and smacked **

**him on the head so hard he fell to his knees.  
Piper wasn't as dazed as she appeared. Her fingers closed around the club when it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Blood **

**—golden blood—trickled from his forehead.  
"Nice try, boy." He glared at Jason. "But you'll have to do better."  
The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, **

**watching in terror.  
Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole **

**form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk. If angels could be evil, Jason decided, they would look exactly like this.**

 **"You're a ventus," Jason said, though he had no idea how he knew that word. "A storm spirit."**

Annabeth began to say, "Ventus is Ro-"

Jason interrupted, "Yes, we know."

 **Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said a third was coming—someone special. She'll reward me greatly for your death!"**

Percy shuddered, "Another war? Please don't tell me I'm part of it... Again."

Annabeth sighed, "I think we are. We have very bad luck."

Hazel nodded, "You are both in it."

Leo grinned, "Don't worry, you have the worst luck in the seven." Percy and Annabeth both groaned.

Athena asked, "What patron are they talking about?"

Piper grimaced, "You'll find out later."

 **Two more funnel clouds touched down on either side of Dylan and turned into venti—ghostly young men with smoky wings and eyes that flickered with lightning.**

 **Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she gave Jason a determined look, and he understood the message: Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind.**

 **Cute, smart, and** **violent. Jason wished he remembered having her as a girlfriend.**

Annabeth commanded, "Duck and cover." Everyone covered their ears, except for the foolish Ares.

Aphrodite squealed, "Cute!" Ares rubbed his sore ears and Annabeth gave him a _I told you so_ look

 **He clenched his fists and got ready to charge, but he never got a chance.  
Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted Jason in the chest.  
Bang! Jason found himself flat on his back. His mouth tasted like burning aluminum foil. He lifted his head and saw that his clothes were smoking. **

**The lightning bolt had gone straight though his body and blasted off his left shoe. His toes were black with soot.  
The storm spirits were laughing. The winds raged. Piper was screaming defiantly, but it all sounded tinny and far away.  
Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Coach Hedge climbing the cliff with Leo on his back. Piper was on her feet, desperately swinging the club to **

**fend off the two extra storm spirits, but they were just toying with her. The club went right through their bodies like they weren't there. And Dylan, a dark and winged tornado with eyes, loomed over Jason.**

 **"Stop," Jason croaked. He rose unsteadily to his feet, and he wasn't sure who was more surprised: him, or the storm spirits.  
"How are you alive?" Dylan's form flickered. "That was enough lightning to kill twenty men!"**

Jason grinned, "Benefits of being the son of Jupiter."

 **"My turn," Jason said.  
He reached in his pocket and pulled out the gold coin. He let his instincts take over, flipping the coin in the air like he'd done it a thousand times. He **

**caught it in his palm, and suddenly he was holding a sword—a wickedly sharp double-edged weapon. The ridged grip fit his fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold—hilt, handle, and blade.**

 **Dylan snarled and backed up. He looked at his two comrades and yelled, "Well? Kill him!"  
The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at Jason, their fingers crackling with electricity.  
Jason swung at the first spirit. His blade passed through it, and the creature's smoky form disintegrated. The second spirit let loose a bolt of **

**lightning, but Jason's blade absorbed the charge. Jason stepped in—one quick thrust, and the second storm spirit dissolved into gold powder.  
Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to re-form, but their gold dust remains dispersed in the wind. "Impossible! **

**Who are you, half-blood?"  
Piper was so stunned she dropped her club. "Jason, how ... ?"  
Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour.  
"Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.  
"Curse it, boy!" he snapped at Jason. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"  
Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever **

**you are—I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"**

Ares grinned wickedly, "I LOVE THIS SATYR!"

 **Dylan hissed at them, but Jason could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will**

 **destroy all demigods. This war you cannot win."  
Above them, the storm exploded into a full-force gale. Cracks expanded in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured down, and Jason had to crouch to **

**keep his balance.  
A hole opened in the clouds—a swirling vortex of black and silver.  
"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"  
He lunged at Jason, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper somehow managed to connect. Both of **

**them went sprawling. Leo, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Jason and Coach Hedge landed on their butts. Jason's sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss.**

 **Jason started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"  
He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him. The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner. "Help!" Piper yelled. "Somebody!"  
Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.  
"Jason, go!" Hedge yelled. "Save her!"  
The coach launched himself at the spirit with some serious goat fu—lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo **

**dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach's arms instead. Hedge tried to head-butt him, then kicked him and called him a cupcake. They rose into the air, gaining speed.**

 **Coach Hedge shouted down once more, "Save her! I got this!" Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared.** **Save her? Jason thought. She's gone!  
But again his instincts won. He ran to the railing, thinking, I'm a lunatic, and jumped over the side. **

Leo sighed, pretending to be disappointed, "You officially won the I'm a Lunatic title."

Jason gulped, "Thanks but no thanks."

 **Jason wasn't scared of heights. He was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. He figured he hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but he tucked in his arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fast- forward. His face felt like it was peeling off.**

 **In a heartbeat, he caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. He tackled her waist and closed his eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in Jason's ears. He wondered what dying would feel like. He was thinking, probably not so good. He wished somehow they could never hit bottom.**

 **Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp. Jason thought they must be dead, but he hadn't felt any impact. "J-J-Jason," Piper managed.**

Everyone laughed at Piper's stuttering.

 **He opened his eyes. They weren't falling. They were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.**

 **He hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging him too. They were nose to nose. Her heart beat so hard, Jason could feel it through her clothes.**

 **Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "How did you—" "I didn't," he said. "I think I would know if I could fly..."  
But then he thought: I don't even knowwho I am. **

**He imagined going up. Piper yelped as they shot a few feet higher. They weren't exactly floating, Jason decided. He could feel pressure under his feet like they were balancing at the top of a geyser.**

 **"The air is supporting us," he said.  
"Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!"  
Jason looked down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then he looked up. The rain had stopped. The storm clouds didn't **

**seem as bad, but they were still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good. He had no idea what had happened to Coach Hedge. And he'd left Leo up there, barely conscious.**

 **"We have to help them," Piper said, as if reading his thoughts. "Can you—"  
"Let's see." Jason thought Up** **, and instantly they shot skyward.**

Percy gasped, "Wait... You have air powers?"

Jason nodded, "Thalia is the Lightning master. I'm the Air master."

 **The fact he was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but he was too much in shock. As soon as they landed on the**

 **skywalk, they ran to Leo.  
Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But **

**at least he wasn't dead.  
"Stupid ... ugly ... goat," he muttered.  
"Where did he go?" Piper asked.  
Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."  
"Twice," Jason said.  
Leo groaned even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword ... I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?"  
Jason had forgotten about the sword. He walked over to where it was lying and picked it up. The blade was well balanced. On a hunch he flipped it. **

**Midspin, the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in his palm. "Yep," Leo said. "Definitely hallucinating."  
Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, those things—" "Venti," he said. "Storm spirits." **

**"Okay. You acted like ... like you'd seen them before. Who are you?"  
He shook his head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't know."  
The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the **

**locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck.  
"Coach Hedge said he had to protect three people," Jason remembered. "I think he meant us."  
"And that thing Dylan turned into ..." Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was hitting on me. He called us... what, demigods?" **

**Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what demi means," he said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"**

Athena sighed, "Demigods me-"

Leo interrupted, "No offernse but we know now."

 **There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.  
"We need to get off this thing," Jason said. "Maybe if we—"  
"Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses."  
At first Jason thought Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. **

**As it got closer he could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.**

 **"Reinforcements," he said. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us." "Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet. "That sounds painful."  
"And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked. **

**Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Two teenagers stood in the chariot—a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts, with shields tossed over their backs. The girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.**

 **"Where is he?" the girl demanded. Her gray eyes were fierce and a little startling.**

Percy laughed, "Sounds like Annabeth."

Athena nodded, "One of my children for sure."

 **She frowned like his answer was unacceptable. Then she turned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?**

 **"  
The coach's first name was Gleeson? Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, **

**goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?**

 **Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some ... tornado things."**

 **"Venti," Jason said. "Storm spirits."**

 **The blond girl arched an eyebrow. "You mean anemoi thuellai? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"**

 **Jason did his best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes. About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot came over. He stood there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seemed a little unusual.**

 **When Jason had finished his story, the blond girl didn't look satisfied. "No, no, no! She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."**

Annabeth asked, "Who's she?"

Jason sighed, "You'll find out."

 **"Annabeth," the bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.**

Percy laughed, "So it is you."

 **Jason hadn't thought much about it, but he was still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of charcoal.**

 **"The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's the answer."**

 **"No, Butch," the girl insisted. "He can't be. I was tricked." She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me? " she screamed. "What have you done with him?"**

 **The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.  
"Annabeth," said the bald dude, Butch, "we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back." She fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."  
She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot.  
Piper shook her head. "What's her problem? What's going on?"  
"Seriously," Leo agreed.  
"We have to get you out of here," Butch said. "I'll explain on the way."  
"I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured toward the blonde. "She looks like she wants to kill me."  
Butch hesitated. "Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was **

**supposed to be the answer to her problem."  
"What problem?" Piper asked.  
"She's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing three days," Butch said. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd **

**be here."  
"Who?" Jason asked.  
"Her boyfriend," Butch said. "A guy named Percy Jackson." **

Athena screamed, "WHAT?!" Percy smiled and Annabeth blushed. Poseidon was smiling while the whole room became chaotic.


	3. Chapter 3

**And I'm back again. I don't own anything. Without further ado...**

Aphrodite began reading.

 **Chapter 3, Piper**

 **AFTERAMORNINGOFSTORM SPIRIT'S, goat men, and flying boyfriends, Piper should've been losing her mind. Instead, all she felt was dread.  
It's starting, she thought. Just like the dream said.**

Annabeth asked, "The dream?"

Piper sighed, "You'll see Annabeth."

Annabeth scowled, "But Piper!"

Piper sighed, "Later."

 **She stood in back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the bald guy, Butch, handled the reins, and the blond girl, Annabeth, adjusted a bronze n** **avigation device. They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through Piper's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.**

 **The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so Piper wondered if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was.**

Aphrodite squealed, "Piper! You have a crush! Eeeeeeek!" Drew sighed. Piper and Jason blushed.

Piper said, "Please don't announce it to the whole entire world."

Percy smirked, "Too late. It's Aphrodite for Zeus's sake."

 **All semester she'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally she'd gotten the big dope to kiss her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything—that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason.**

 **Now she didn't even have him. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and she was stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing her.**

 **Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth.**

Katie Gardner, counselor of the Demetor cabin said, "Eww... Do you know how much gr-"

Leo sighed, "No and I don't care Kat."

Katie glared, "It's Katie not Kat."

Leo smirked, "Ok Miss Katie not Kat." Percy laughed. Katie glared.

Demeter sighed, "This kid needs more cereal."

Hephaestus said, "Demeter, you will not make my child eat cereal."

Demeter sighed, "Fine."

 **"Where are we going?"  
"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."  
"Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white**

Annabeth shook her head, "I meant demigods."

Piper nodded, "Yeah, I know now."

 **—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"  
"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."**

Annabeth blinked, "Jason seems to know a lot."

Another note appeared, "It seems that The Seven aren't doing anything for Leo. They will leave." Before anyone can protest, past Annabeth, Percy, future Frank, Hazel, Piper, and Jason disappeared.

Athena made another one of her back up counselors appear. Her name was Andrea. Andrea blinked, unsure what she was doing in Olympus before Athena explained it to her daughter. Andrea nodded and sat down.

 **Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris,**

 **the rainbow goddess."  
Leo choked."Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"  
"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.  
"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."  
"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."**

Nico nodded, "Besides Percy."

 **"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.**  
 **"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.**

Butch in the past chuckled, "I usaully don't lose my cool." Leo sighed, thinking that they're going to see every mistake he had made. Wait, what happens if they see his thoughts? They would hate him to no end.

 **"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're ... you think we're—"**  
 **Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"**

Leo gulped, fire. Fire. Fire. No! They're going to know his thoughts and how he literally KILLED his own mother. No, this can't be happening to him. No, no, no!

 **Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot.**  
 **The wind roared. Piper glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except**

 **these looked more like horses than angels.**

 **She started to say, "Why are they—"**

Andrea began, "They come in different shapes. Sometimes human, stallions. Ever wonder how the expre-"

Piper interrupted, "No offense but we know now. Annabeth explains it." Andrea nodded and turned her attention back to the book.

 **"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."**

 **Butch flicked the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. Piper's stomach crawled into her throat. Her vision went black, and when it came back to normal, they were in a totally different place.**

 **A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire.**

The demigods and gods grinned at the description of a Camp Half Blood. To the demigods, it's their second home, not camp. Their training area, food, riding, and fighting area.

 **But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.**

Aphrodite gulped, worried about her daughter. She glanced at Piper to make sure that she's alive.

 **Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much.**

Athena nodded, "Thats expected."

Poseiden snickered, "Then why didn't Annabeth think of it?"

Athena rolled her eyes, "Because it's kind of hard to bring more than a Pegasus per person, Fish Face!"

 **"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"  
Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement. And then—BOOM.**

Athena and Andrea nodded, "It's better than the cement though." Piper nodded and didn't say anything.

 **The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn't know which way was up.**

 **She just had time to think: This would be a stupid way to faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up.**

 **They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere. Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Piper by the arms and helped her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf blower–looking things and blasted Piper with hot air; and in about two seconds her clothes were dry.**

 **There were at least twenty campers milling around—the youngest maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen—and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annabeth's. Piper looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, toodle-oo, and disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a** **wet crunch.**

 **"Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"  
"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."  
Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been **

**claimed already?"  
"Claimed?" Leo asked.  
Before Annabeth could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"  
"No," Annabeth admitted.  
The campers muttered. Piper had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal.  
Another girl stepped forward—tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an **

**orange T-shirt look glamorous. She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dum** **pster. Piper knew this girl's type. She'd dealt with a lot of girls like this at Wilderness School and every other stupid school her father had sent her to. Piper knew instantly they were going to be enemies.**

 **"Well," the girl said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."  
Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"**

Aphrodite sighed, "Drew. Why did you say that?"

Drew said, "Because they broke a chariot, made two Pegasi crazy, and they're drenched."

Aphrodite shook her head, "Sweetie, more demigods means more romance."

 **"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to** **stay?"**

 **Piper had the same questions, but a wave of anxiety washed over her. Worth the trouble. If they only knew about her dream. They had no idea... "Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew"—she frowned at the glamour girl—"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll** **admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."**

Athena scowled, "I can't believe ANNABETH is with PERCY. Now she's going to be a lovesick child."

 **"Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."**

 **Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"**

 **Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her, but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."**

 **Piper did. She wasn't a bit scared of Drew, but Annabeth didn't seem like somebody she wanted for** **an enemy.**

Drew smiled, "Ha. So this Piper is scared isn't she?"

 **"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, with another pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."**

 **"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked.**

 **Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first Piper thought she'd done something wong. Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe.**

 **Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image —a fiery hammer.  
"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."  
"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing** **and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head. "This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—"**

 **"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"  
"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"**

Connor blinked, "Vulcan? Who's that?" Hephaestus merely winced and changed to Vulcan, then back to Hephaestus.

Athena narrowed her eyes, "We have to stop reading. They're going to find out."

Another note fluttered down, "Do not stop. Trust me."

Athena sighed, "Since when should we trust a revenge goddess?"

Poseidon argued, "If you don't want revenge, then you shouldn't go-"

Athena interrupted, "What if this is the revenge?"

Zeus held up a hand, "If we avoid this, then Nemesis night punish us with more."

 **All eyes turned to him.  
"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek . What are you talking about?"**

Hephaestus merely smiled.

 **"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."**  
 **The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"**  
 **Annabeth turned to the guy with the bow. "Will, would you** **take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."**

Leo grinned, "Will you take me me on a tour? Get it? Will and will?" Connor and Travis high fives him. The rest of the cancion laughs. Besides Will.

 **"Sure, Annabeth."**  
 **"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"**  
 **"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins.**  
 **Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason. Usually Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but Annabeth didn't seem to care** **that he was a good-looking guy. She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally she said, "Hold out your arm."**

 **Piper saw what she was looking at, and her eyes widened.  
Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. **

Athena hissed, "Oh I remember. Jason. He's the one who cursed by my name!"

She turned into Minerva, "Jason tore down one of my temples! He tried to defeat me! I should kill hi-"

Jupiter roared, "You will not kill him!"

Minerva sneered, "Like I needed your permission."

Apollo sighed, "Calm down." They both turned back to Greek, glaring at each other.

 **How had** **Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters spqr.**

Apollo gripped Athena's hand, hoping that Athena won't protest and won't kill the book.

 **"I've** **never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"  
Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."  
The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them ****a lot—almost like a declaration of war. "They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.  
"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean ... I think so. I don't remember."  
No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.  
"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you—" **

**"Absolutely." Drew laced her arm through Jason's. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's ... an interesting guy." She flashed Piper a smug look and led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.**

Dionysus laughed, "Interesting guy? Ha." Everyone blinked, they didn't know that Dionysus was paying attention.

 **The crowd began to disperse, until only Annabeth and Piper were left. "Who's Chiron?" Piper asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"**

 **Annabeth hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, I'll give you a tour. We need to talk."**

Aphrodite smiled, "Done! Who's next?"

Hades said, "I'll do it."


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own anything in bold print

* * *

Hades read

 **PIPER SOON REALIZED ANNABETH'S HEART wasn't in the tour.**

Annabeth asked suprised, "You realized that?"

Piper nodded, "Of course I did. Even before I got claimed, I could still sense some relationships. Like that time you al-"

Annabeth said, "Shhhh..."

Percy asked, "What?"

Piper sighed, "Annabeth, i think it would be wise to tell your boyfriend."

Annabeth shook her head, "Sorry Piper but no."

 **She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters —but she showed no excitement, as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled that far on the chariot.) Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter.**

Percy grinned, glad to see that the gods were keeping their promises.

Hermes smiled at Percy, happy that his cabin isn't as crowded.

 **Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here. She wondered if she'd have to stay full-time, or if she'd be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting?**

Annabeth nodded, "I think you can. Like Drew, for example."

Drew looked up from her nails, "I could beat you! With charmspeak."

Annabeth yawned, "You are too scared to do anything without charmspeak. Also, Piper taught all of us how to avoid her charmspeak, which is more powerful than yours." Drew glared at Piper, who smiled in reply.

 **A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth's mood, she decided to keep quiet.**

Annabeth said, "Questions are always good Piper." Piper nodded.

 **As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields,**

Everyone that's an old camper smiled a tree this. The new campers smiled a bit Burbank they never did the activities or walked through them much.

 **and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden,**

Apollo smiled, "My cabin is the brightest! I could feel a haiku coming!" Everyone groaned.

Apollo began, "My cabin is great,

Shining golden like a star,

I am so awesome."

Artemis asked, "Does every haiku need to end with an I am so awesome?"

Apollo said, "Of course lil sis."

Artemis argued, "I'm not your little sister."

 **another silver.**

Artemis smiled and so did the Hunters of Artemis.

 **One had grass on the roof.**

Katie cheered, "Go Demeter!"

Demeter said, "My child needs more cereal."

 **Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches.**

Ares grinned wickedly, "Does anyone want to die?"

 **One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.**

Hades asked, "I'm guessing that's my cabin?" Percy nodded and Hades smiled.

Hades said, "Maybe I won't kill you after all."

 **All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.**

 **"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live."**

 **She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news.**

Percy said, "Sounds like the Wise Girl I know!" Piper and Annabeth looked at each other and Percy narrowed his eyes, unsure why Piper and Annabeth was almost communicating with their minds.

 **"You're saying Mom was a goddess."**

 **Annabeth nodded. "You're taking this awfully calmly."**

Piper asked, "Is that good or bad?"

Annabeth replied, "Normally it's good but it could be bad."

 **Piper couldn't tell her why. She couldn't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father**

Aphrodite asked, "What arguments?" Hades continued before this would be a big argument

 **about why there were no photos of Mom in the house,**

Aphrodite said, "Oh."

Percy joked, "You just said my famous words!"

 **and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. Soon they will find you, demigod, that voice had rumbled. When they do, followour directions. Cooperate, and your father might live.**

Annabeth said, "You never told me about that!"

Piper said, "You already had enough things on your head. I didn't want to make it worse."

 **Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"  
"We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."**

Percy sneered, "Lady Aphrodite! You didn't keep that promise! She's supposed to be claimed when she's thirteen!"

Aphrodite painted her nails, "Aww.. Percy, don't sneer. It makes your face worse."

Percy sighed, "I don't care."

 **"The deal?"**

 **"They made a promise last summer ... well, long story... but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time** **they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign."**

Piper high fived Annabeth, "You were right as always."

 **Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe. Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.**

Aphrodite batted her eyes, "Piper, that's not true. Oh, by the way, I'm going to change your-"

Piper grumbled, "Don't you dare."

 **"Why thirteen?"**

 **"The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."**

 **"Like Coach Hedge?"**

Ares shouted, "Die!"

 **Annabeth nodded. "He's—he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."**

 **Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat. She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.**

 **"What happened to him?" she asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he ... is he gone for good?"**

 **"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits ... difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."**

Zeus said, "I'm going to fade the master of the winds."

 **"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.**

Leo finally spoke again, "They turned dusty. Got my clo-"

Aphrodite smiled, "I cou-"

Piper sighed, "Don't."

 **"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."  
"Tartarus?"**

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and held hands

 **"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it** **usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."**

 **Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies.**

Everyone began laughing.

Leo said, "Pipes, your thoughts are weirder than I thought!" Piper slapped him but Leo ducked

 **That made her feel even worse.**

Leo chuckled, "You feel bad for the satyr that is saying die in about every two minutes?"

Piper scolded, "He saved your life."

 **She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she'd have to what we tell you,the voice had the consequences will be painful. She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.**

 **"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."  
I doubt that, Piper thought.  
"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."**

They all asked Piper, "Only five?"

 **"Only five?"**

Leo marveled, "Wow, we all think like Annabeth."

 **Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."**

 **"Seriously?"**

 **"Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—"**

 **"Leo's ADHD," Piper said.**

Leo jumped up and began dancing, "Woohoo! I get a lot of attention." He began doing cartwheels and backflips.

Leo smirked, "I might be more famous than Percy!"

 **"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive—we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—"**

 **Her** **face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?"**

 **Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason** **she found herself telling the truth.**

Percy nodded, "Annabeth sometimes does do that."

 **"I steal stuff," she said. "Well, not really steal ..."  
**

 **"Is your family poor?"  
**

Leo burst out laughing, "Not even!" Jason and Percy realized that Leo was being too funny, even for him. Jason narrowed his eyes.

 **Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it ... I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."  
**

Leo said, "If I was you, I would enjoy it."

 **Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"**

Hermes and his children leaned in to listen.

 **"Well ... nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers—even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But** **the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."**

 **Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Annabeth just nodded.  
"Interesting. If your dad were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, god of thieves. **

Hermes smiled, but then frowned, "I wish you're also my child Piper."

 **He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal..."**

 **"Very," Piper agreed.**

Leo asked, "Do you know who her father is?! It's Tr-"

Piper shouted, "Leo!"

Leo continued, "Tristen McLean." Most of the girls squealed.

 **Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."  
Piper almost hoped it wouldn't happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been ****asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld.**

All the Olympian gods and goddess glared at Zeus who glared in return

 **Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If** **anyone could figure out Piper's secret ...**

 **"Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check.**

 **They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance,** **which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.**

Apollo's grin got wide, "MY Oracle Rachel Elizabeth Dare!"

 **"What's in there?" Piper asked**

 **Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days,** **but so far, nothing."**

 **"Your friend lives in a cave?"**

Leo laughed, "Definitely proves that you're coo cooo, coo coo, cooo coooooo." Piper slapped him but he ducked.

 **Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when** **she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"**

 **"Find Percy," Piper guessed.**

Percy sighed, "Annabeth, you know if I knew where Camp was without my memories which was thanks to HERA."

Hera said, "That was Juno." She winced as she turned into Juno before turning back to Hera.

Percy continued, "Or Juno who is as equally as annoying."

Leo whistled, "Wow! Percy, now I know how to get god she and goddesses on my bad side."

 **All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was** **so full of pain, Piper felt like a voyeur.**

Leo said, "P-' Piper slapped him, really hard. Leo did something he never had done before, he winced and frowned. No one noticed besides Hephaestus who frowned.

 **She forced herself to look away. Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its** **lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat.**

Clarisse laughed, "I would hate to get all my work for nothing." Percy decided to not start to argue with Clarisse.

 **No ... not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.**

 **Okay, Piper thought. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece.**

 **Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales,** **clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.**

Percy nodded, "I love-"

Annabeth glared, "More than me?"

Percy stammered, "N-no."

 **"That's—a dragon," she stammered. "That's the actual Golden Fleece?"**

 **Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn't really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. A little** **tired."**

 **"You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?"**

 **"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes."**

Percy gaped, "Wow. I was sleeping when you were looking for me."

Annabeth glared at Hera, "No thanks to someone."

 **"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"**

 **Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we** **had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."**

 **Piper was thinking: Three days ago. The same night she'd had her dream. "How long were you guys together?"**

 **"Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."**

 **"Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we've only been together a few weeks."**

Hera said simply, "That's the Mist I asked Hecate to do. You know, as th-"

Annabeth said, "The queen of the olympians she does owe me a few favors?"

Hera blinked, "How did you know?"

 **Annabeth winced. "Piper ... about that. Maybe you should sit down."**

 **Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her, like her lungs were filling with water. "Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."**

 **"Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."**

 **"Missed ... what?"**

 **"M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds—they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters,** **so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand —like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables."**

 **Piper swallowed. "No. You said yourself I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."**

Annabeth sighed, "Even demigods can be affected at times. Percy had been affected so many times. Als-"

Piper groaned, "I know Anna."

Annabeth said, "Its Annabeth."

Leo smirked, "Ok blondie."

Annabeth was going to punch Leo. She swore it it on the River Styx.

 **"Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"**

 **"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're** **so** **real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..."**

 **She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes.**

Leo stood up, looking for the first time, angry, "Excuse me! After all this horas, tú pensas yo estupido!"

Piper backed away, "Leo-"

Leo said, "Don't tell me what to do."

Piper defended, "They are kind of stupid."

Leo was on fire, "Estupido! Estupido! Tú -"

Hephaestus grabbed Leo and pulled him into another room ( will be in next chapter )

 **He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually—finally—holding hands. All that couldn't be fake.**

Hera said, "They are Piper McLean."

 **Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well— "**

 **"Ido!"**

 **"Then where is he from?"**

 **Piper felt like she'd been hit between the eyes. "He must have told me, but—"**

 **"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?"**

Piper shook her head, "No."

 **"I—I don't know, but—"**

 **"Piper, what's his last name?"**

Piper sighed, "I told you that I don't know!"

 **Her mind went blank. She didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be?**

 **She started to cry.**

 **She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did everything that** **was good in her stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?**

 **Yes, the dream had told her. Yes, unless you do exactly what we say.**

Aphrodite asked, "What's the dream?"

Piper sighed, "You'll find out soon."

 **"Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."**

Piper and Jason held hands

 **Not likely, Piper thought. Not if the dream had told her the truth. But she couldn't say that.**

 **She brushed a tear from her cheek. "You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"**

 **Annabeth shrugged. "I figured it would be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."**

 **"But I still can't believe ... I know we had something. And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today,** **then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"**

 **"Goodquestions,"Annabethsaid.**

 **Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her—but soon they'd be just another** **bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of.**

Percy smirked, "I got kicked out of every school I tried to attend. Try to beat that!"

Piper gulped, "Umm..."

 **You'll betray them for us, the voice had warned. Or you'll lose everything.**

Jason gasped, "Pipes, you don't believe that do you?"

Piper shook her head, "OF course not!"

 **She didn't have a choice. "Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready."**

 **On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.**

 **"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs."**

 **They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking at each other with swords.**

 **"Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"**

 **"That's sort of the point,"**

Travis and Connor cheered, "She's being a Percy!"

Percy asked, "What does that mean?"

 **Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved** **owl over the door. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon displays, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram.**

 **"Speaking of blades," Annabeth said, "come here."**

 **She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools.**

Percy laughed, "Very funny."

Piper charm spoke, "Is not."

 **Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were not gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants. The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons—from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's.**

 **"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best,**

Leo and Hephaestus came back from their talk. Leo was still grinning, although it seemed a bit forced this time

 **but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy—matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see ..."**

 **Piper didn't feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but she knew Annabeth was trying to do something nice for her. Annabeth handed her a massive sword, which Piper could hardly lift.**

 **"No," they both said at once.**

 **Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.**

 **"A shotgun?" Piper asked.**

 **"Mossberg 500."**

Leo said, "A M-"

Annabeth snapped, "I know Leo. You don't have to remind me."

 **Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters."**

 **"Um, I don't think that's my style," Piper said.**

 **"Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy."**

Percy coughed, "I don't think that's the reason."

 **She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper's eye.**

 **"What is that?" she said. "A knife?"**

 **Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. It looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in centuries.**

 **"I don't know, Piper." Annabeth sounded uneasy. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."**

 **"You use a knife." Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt.**

Travis screamed, "Get wrecked Anna!"

Annabeth said, "Travis Stoll. You take that back or else I'm summoning some arai."

 **"Yeah, but ..." Annabeth shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want."**

 **The sheath was worn black leather, bound in bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in Piper's hand. When** **she unsheathed it, she found a triangular blade eighteen inches long—bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. The edges were deadly sharp. Her reflection in the blade caught her by surprise. She looked older, more serious, not as scared as she felt.**

Piper smiled, "Go Katoptris!"

 **"It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek** **armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."**

 **"I like it," Piper said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"**

 **Annabeth exhaled. "That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner ... well, things didn't turn out too well for her.** **Her name was Helen."**

 **Piper let that sink in. "Wait, you mean the Helen? Helen of Troy?"**

 **Annabeth nodded.**

 **Suddenly Piper felt like she should be handling the dagger with surgical gloves. "And it's just sitting in your toolshed?"**

Leo looked like he's going to start laugh again but he didn't because Piper looked as if she's going to punch Leo if he did laugh

 **"We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that—they're meant to be used. They're our heritage** **as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."**

 **"Meaning?"**

 **"Mirror," Annabeth said. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."**

 **Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock. She heard the same laughter as in her dream. She saw her dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.**

 **She dropped the blade.**

 **"Piper?" Annabeth shouted to the Apollo kids on the court, "Medic! I need some help over here!"**

 **"No, it's—it's okay," Piper managed.**

 **"You sure?"**

 **"Yeah. I just ..." She had to control herself. With trembling fingers, she picked up the dagger. "I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But** **... I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."**

 **Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or** **something."**

 **"I'm fine," Piper promised, though her heart was still racing. "Is there ... um, a phone at camp?**

Hermes said, "Very funny."

 **Can I call my dad?"**

 **Annabeth's gray eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, trying to read Piper's** **thoughts.**

 **"We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are.**

 **But ... I've got one."**

Everyone gasped, "Annabeth?!" Annabeth looked as if she wanted to run away. Percy hugged Annabeth.

He whispered to Annabeth, "That's my girl."

Athena said, "My daughter? A rulebreaker? That's it girl, I disown you."

Annabeth gasped, "Mother, please."

Athena said, "I am no longer your mother. You are no longer my daughter. No daughter or son of mine can break rules, one as dangerous as phones. They attract monsters."

 **She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret ..."**

Aphrodite just smiled gracefully, "For helping my daughter, Piper, I won't make your love life more tragic anymore."

Annabeth sighed

* * *

Sorry for the wait. I know this isn't the whole chapter but I really want to publish this


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, I know that I haven't updated for a veeery long time. My excuse is that my last document that had a lot of dialogue and all my information deleted just as I was saving it. But I will continue the story.**

 **Also, I wanted to start a new fanfic but I don't know what you, the reader, likes to read. So on my profile page, there will be options. Just PM or review me the one you like or want me to write about.**

 **Also, I read all the reviews. Most of you wanted me to either update, make the dialogue longer, or both. So here's the answer to the reviews: Here's an update and I will try to make it longer. It should get longer once the action really starts though.**

 **Without further ado... The story.**

* * *

 **3rd POV**

 **(Reminder: All story content will be bolded. Also, Percy and Annabeth in here is from the past and does not know what will happen to them yet.)**

 **She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret ..."**

Athena, goddess of wisdom, stood and walked to Annabeth, "Annabeth Chase, why the heck do you have a cell phone." The terrified child stammered something under her breath.

Percy Jackson stood up, "For your information, we needed to use her phone to call each other."

"You probably made all the monsters appear!"

"They were already chasing us!"

"That is true but did you know that cell phones with demigods make the monsters travel 3 times as quick to the caller?"

Percy stopped talking and sat back down. He felt like the deaths were his fault again. He thought, 'Since we used the cell phones, there were more monsters. Then... Not everyone would've died if the monsters didn't come as fast. It's all my fault.'

Poseidon walked to Athena, "Owl brain, they needed the cell phones to communicate. Besides, I was there fighting but you-"

Athena snarled and turned to Poseidon, "Excuse me Salt Water but not as many of my children would've died. Just because your child didn't die doesn't mean that the others didn't."

Demeter stood up, "I agree with Athena."

Hades nodded, "Me too."

Dionysus looked up from his magazine, "I agree with Athena since my son shouldn't have died from that fatal wound in the Battle." One by one, all the gods besides Zeus and Poseidon agreed with Athena. Poseidon was about to attack all of them but knew that he would be overpowered.

Hades continued to read the chapter after a few death stares at Poseidon.

 **Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area.**

 **She called her dad's private line, even though she knew what would happen. Voice mail. She'd been trying for three days, ever since the dream.**

Hades raised an eyebrow and interrupted his own reading, "Before any of you accuse me, I don't think that I sent the Dream. I rarely care about dreams at all." Poseidon closed his mouth. The god of seas was going to accuse Hades but it happened in the future so he knew that he wouldn't be angry... yet.

 **Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but she'd called every evening, and gotten nowhere.  
Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad's personal assistant answered immediately. "Mr. McLean's office."**

Travis gasped, "McLean. Is Piper related to that superstar, Tristen McLean?" They all looked at Leo who was the only one who was enjoying the suspense.

Leo shrugged, "Not telling!" He was trying really hard to grin. Ever since the Talk with his dad a few minutes ago, it really began to become hard.

 **"Jane," Piper said, gritting her teeth. "Where's my dad?"**

 **Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up. "Piper, I thought you weren't supposed to call from school."**

Leo snorted, "School?! As if. That Wilderness School was hardly a school. It was more like a pri-" Hephaestus glared at Leo and Leo trailed off from his sentence. Hestia, goddess of the hearth, looked at Hephaestus with surprise. Hades continued reading as if nothing much happened.

 **"Maybe I'm not at school," Piper said. "Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures."**

Leo began laughing but was once again silenced by his father by a glare. Hestia gave Leo a look of sympathy.

 **"Mmm." Jane didn't sound concerned. "Well, I'll tell him you called."**

Drew continued to brush her hair and check out her reflection. So did the rest of the children of Aphrodite. Meanwhile, their mother was interested in the book, which was kind of shocking. Annabeth, Athena, and the rest of the children of Athena narrowed their eyes. They seemed to figure out who Piper's mother was. Athena glanced at Aphrodite and nodded to her children. The other demigods and gods didn't know yet though.

 **"Where is he?"**

 **"Out."**

 **"You don't know, do you?" Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop.**

Percy and Leo burst out laughing.

Annabeth turned to them and glared, "What's the problem?" Leo stiffened his laughter but a glare from Hephaestus made him stop laughing. Now Hestia was mad.

She stood up and stormed to Hephaestus, "What did you tell Leo?" The others watched in amusement and in concern. Hestia rarely drew attention to herself and when she did, she was unstoppable. Hephaestus finally began to say the truth.

Flashback

 _Leo and his dad walked to Hephaestus' room. With a wave of his hand, the door locked and the traps were set._

 _Hephaestus turned to Leo with an angry look on his face, "Look, I know that your mother was killed by you and I should hate you a little for that. But instead, I despise you so much that you are nothing but a monster to me." He whipped the crying Leo. Then he made Leo's wounds invisible but he left Leo emotional and the remaining physical pain left._

 _Hephaestus said, "Never laugh again son. Never." He dragged Leo back and made Leo fix his smile._

Hestia and the others growled but Hades quickly kept reading to avoid the war.

 **"When are you going to call the police, Jane? He** **could be in trouble."**

 **"Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."**

Aphrodite looked very angry at Jane and muttered under her breath, "I'm going to ruin her makeup and dresses." Annabeth stiffened her laughter since Aphrodite actually looked deadly.

 **"So it's true. You don't know—"**

Annabeth nodded, "Good thinking Piper."

 **"I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school."**

 **The line went dead. Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.**

Athena and Poseidon immediately glared at each other again. Hestia sighed.

 **"No luck?" Annabeth asked.**

Percy rolled his eyes, "Annabeth, that's a stupid question."

Annabeth jumped up and took out her knife and held it under Percy's chin, "What did you say?"

Percy stammered, "Annabeth, that's a stupid question."

The knife dug deeper, "Try again, what did you say?"

"That's a s-s-stupid question."

Connor interrupted, "Annabeth, you're killing him." Annabeth didn't seem to hear him since she was too focused on Oercy.

Percy asked, "What am I saying wrong?" Everyone besides Percy and Annabeth face palmed. Poseidon lent over and whispered something.

Percy said, "Oh."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "Well, Percy? What did you want to say for yourself?"

Percy whispered, " Annabeth, that's not a stupid question?" Annabeth finally lowered the dagger and Hades kept reading.

 **Piper didn't answer. She didn't trust herself not to start crying again.**

 **Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."**

 **"Common name."**

Leo snorted but quickly stopped when someone gave him a look.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Looks like future me is really stupid. Sure, McLean is common but I would have figured it out already." Percy opened his mouth to say something stupid but Hades gave the son of the sea a stern look and he close down his mouth.

 **"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"**

 **"He's got a degree in the arts," Piper said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist."**

Leo rolled his eyes in response and the children of Hermes laughed their heads off. Aphrodite giggled when she heard this and she squealed.

 **Her standard response. Not a lie, just not the whole truth.**

Athena nodded with approval, "Piper seems smart so far but I don't trust her mother." She glanced at everyone but glared at Aphrodite when no one was looking. The goddess of love gulped.

 **Most people, when they heard that, figured her dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation. Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets—that kind of thing.**

Leo fell off the chair, laughing his head off. Soon, everyone besides his father and Athena fell over, laughing. Hephaestus sighed before chuckling for a few seconds, no time wanting to feel left out. Athena refused to budge since she was stubborn.

 **"Oh." Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she put the phone away. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"**

 **Piper fastened her new dagger to her belt and promised herself that later, when she was alone, she'd figure out how it worked.**

Dionysus looked up from his magazine, "What? How a dagger works? That's very simple." He yawned, before looking back into his magazines.

Percy said in pure shock, "You were listening?" This time, everyone ignored him but Annabeth jabbed him in the arm before rubbing it. Stupid Achilles Heel.

 **"Sure," she said. "I want to see everything."**

 **All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck Piper as hers. No burning signs**

Hephaestus explained, "That's for me only technically."

Zeus crossed his arms, "Mine is lightning but I can still burn stuff."

Athena sighed, "You two. Stop it now. We shouldn't want a new argument-"

Dionysus looked up from his magazine, "Me too!"

The goddess of wisdom sighed and Annabeth muttered, "Too late I suppose." Cabin 6 nodded in agreement.

 **—wombats**

This time, everyone laughed, including Athena.

 **or otherwise—appeared over her head. Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.**

Artemis nodded, "Mine although I still hate the hate that my cabin was originally built by men. Then I changed it and it was build by my Hunters. Zoe led the building as I recall." The Hunters looked down, most of them knew Zoe and was sad about the reminder about the fact that she was gone.

 **"Artemis?" Piper guessed.**

 **"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth said.**

Percy rolled his eyes, "Duh, of cou-"

Athena interrupted, "'Duh' is not a word Perseus Jackson." Her voice had some warning in it and the yo all knew that it was dangerously to have a goddess of wisdom as one of your enemies.

Percy, being stupid, didn't listen, "Sorry Lady Athena but duh is a word in my dictionary." Hades hurried to continue reading the book.

 **"I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year."**

Travis and Conner blurted out loudly, "Lies!" The whole Hermes cabin laughed.

 **"I thought he did Cherokee art."**

Annemarie, another daughter of Hermes, shouted out, "Busted!" Hermes and his children laughed again.

 **Piper bit back a curse. "Oh, right. But—you know, he does other stuff too."**

Athena shrugged, "That's possible, if you want to be honest. I've seen people being a librarian and a butcher before. Of course, there are other combinations."

 **Piper thought she'd blown it: McLean, Greek mythology. Thankfully, Annabeth didn't seem to make the connection.**

Hermes shouted, "Burn!" To add to the effect, Hermes made his chair light up with flames, although it didn't burn the chair.

 **"Anyway," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is goddess of the moon, goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."**

Artemis rolled her eyes, "And for a good reason too. Guys are just so..." She said some words that are not allowed to ever be seen in this raging of this story.

 **"Oh." That kind of bummed Piper out. She'd always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would make a cool mom.**

Artemis growled, "How _dare_ she think that I'm her mother! I am sworn as a maiden!"

Athena shrugged, "Gods and goddesses almost never keeps their promises as proven by Lord Zeus."

 **"Well, there are the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth amended. "They visit sometimes. They're not the children of Artemis, but they're her handmaidens —this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."**

The Hunters of Artemis and the said goddess both smiled and nodded in agreement.

 **Piper perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"**

Thalia shrugged, "That is only one cool perk."

 **"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off boys? No dating—ever. For eternity."**

Thalia nodded, "Yeah, that's another great perk. Boy are really annoying."

Percy said in annoyance, "Why is everyone teaming against me now?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Because you're stupid."

 **"Oh," Piper said. "Never mind."**

The Hunters sighed.

 **Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked almost happy, and Piper thought she'd be a cool friend to hang out with in better times.**

Leo shuddered, "No, she isn't." Hades continued reading quickly before another argument could start.

 **Forget it, Piper reminded herself. You're not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out.**

Now Annabeth was really curious, "About what? If Piper was here, I would tell her to tell us since we need to know. Besides, how could anyone prevent something's if we don't know what the problem is?" Everyone besides Percy nodded in agreement.

Percy shrugged, "We could always wing it."

Annabeth turned to Percy, "Percy, winging it doesn't no always work."

Percy smirked, "Works for me." Annabeth smacked him on the head, although Percy didn't feel anything.

 **They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the** **windows.**

Drew sighed in pleasure, "It's really lovely. Don't you think so sisters and brothers?"

Lacy nodded, "It is very pretty Drew."

Drew rolled her eyes, "Its not pretty, it's astonishing."

 **They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost made Piper gag. "Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"**

Everyone carefully didn't say anything, not wanting to suffer the charmspeak of Aphrodite. Leo quickly looked at Aphrodite who was fuming.

 **Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor."**

Drew smirked, "Wonderful, I will make sure that the cabin is even better than it was." Leo careful didn't say anything to Drew.

 **"Figures," Piper grumbled.**

 **"They're not all bad," Annabeth said. "The last head counselor we had was great."**

Everyone besides Leo smiled with the thought of Silena. Leo shrugged when poeple looked at him, wondering why he wasn't smiling with them. Athena and her children obviously knew why though.

 **"What happened to her?"**

Leo rolled his eyes, "If Pipes was here, I would tell her that she obviously died and-"

Percy began sniffing, "Stop." Leo looked around and saw a few others sodding along with him. Obviously, that wasn't the right thing to say. Did Leo care? Nope.

 **Annabeth's expression darkened. "We should keep moving."**

 **They looked at the other cabins, but Piper just got more depressed. She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess.**

Demeter and Katie wondered if Piper belonged to her cabin.

Demeter asked Leo, "Is Piper one of my daughters?"

Leo shrugged, "Read to find out."

 **Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched.**

Demeter gulped, "Never mind. Piper seems like she needs more cereal."

 **Athena was cool.**

Athena shook her head, "Not mine. I always keep track of my children, even if they don't notice."

 **Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess.** **But it didn't really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid.**

Percy laughed, "At least you didn't need to get dunked into the toilet Piper!"

Annabeth's response was better, "Everyone's here does feel u wanted at first but it gets better."

 **She was not looking forward to the campfire tonight.**

Apollo said, "Campfires are very fun

We sing, dance, laugh, and enjoy

I am so awesome."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Is it just me or are Apollo's haikus getting worse?"

Elizabeth, a hunter, said, "Not just you Lady Artemis, I think they are getting worse too."

 **"We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus—Hecate, Hades, Iris—"**

Hades looked at the book again and again and again and again and-

Percy asked, "Is there something wrong Uncle Hades?"

Hades asked, "You actually were serious about adding my cabin?"

The son of the sea nodded, "Unlike some people, I do respect and keep my promises." He glared at Zeus who pretended that he couldn't hear that.

 **"What are the two big ones on the end?" Piper asked.**

Annabeth growled, knowing exactly who it was.

 **Annabeth frowned. "Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods."**

Zeus and Hera smiled a little when they heard that. The demigods rolled their eyes, not really fond of them.

 **Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited.**

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't even be pretending. I hate Hera."

Hera frowned, "Mind your manners girl."

Hera continued, "I can kill you whenever I want and I am the queen of the gods."

Annabeth rolled her gray eyesight, "Whatever, _Lady Hera_ , but Percy's and I both saved you from fading, I don't think killing would be a good comeback." Hera didn't say anything else's.

 **The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank.**

Zeus crossed his arms, "Hey!" Poseidon and Hades laughed.

 **It was white marble** **with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.**

Zeus whined, "That does not even look like a bank!"

Leo shrugged, "It kind of does to be honest Lord Zeus."

Zeus grumbled, "Whatever."

 **Hera's cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors.**

Hera nodded and no one dared to comment on that. Actually, Percy was going to say something but Annabeth glared at him.

 **Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.**

 **"Are they empty?" Piper asked.**

Leo said sarcastically, "Nooooo..." Hephaestus glared and Leo wiped the smirk off his face, leaving himself with a small grin.

Hestia turned to Hephaestus, "Hephaestus, I don't get why you don't honk that Leo should smile or make any jokes. The past is in the past and his mother died years ago. Please... I know that his mother would want you to-"

Hephaestus roared, "Don't you dare tell me what to do you minor goddess!"

Hestia's voice had some warning in it, "What did you just say?"

Hephaestus said, "Don't you DARE TELL ME WHAT TO YOU MINOR GODDESS!" He obviously had the same issues as Percy. Hades continue de reading before a godly battle would happen.

 **Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods** **—they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children."**

Percy rolled his eyes, "As if that worked out."

Annabeth sighed, "Percy!"

"What?"

"Stop being stupid."

"Wh-What did I say?" Annabeth sighed with the rest of the demigods and the gods.

 **"Tried to avoid it?"**

 **"Sometimes they ... um, cheated. I've got a friend, Thalia Grace, who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. My boyfriend,**

Athena glared at Annabeth, "You do not receive my blessing to become his girlfriend and vice versa. I don't want you to marrying a rash boyfriend in your life. You should be successful in your life."

Annabeth nodded, "Yes mother."

 **Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. And there's a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico—son of Hades.**

Percy looked around, "Where's Nico?"

Zeus looked uncomfortable, "Well... uh... I kind of banished all sons and daughters of Hades from Olympus?"

Percy shouted, "What?!" Zeus motioned Hades to deep reading but Hades was angrily.

Hades frowned, "Listen brother... My son will be allowed in Olympus! Everyone who has a goodly parent or is a god or goddess may enter. If I am correct." Zeus shrank down from his seat.

 **Except for them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."**

 **"And Hera?" Piper looked at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn't sure why.**

 **"Goddess of marriage." Annabeth's tone was carefully controlled, like she was trying to avoid cursing.**

Annabeth nodded, "I am probably cursing in the future."

Leo nodded, "Yeah. I know. Hera tried to kill me-"

Hera shouted, "Silence child!" As angry as Hestia was, she decided to not interfere.

 **"She doesn't have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no demigods. The cabin's just honorary."**

 **"You don't like her,"Piper noticed.**

Annabeth cursed, "Hera, I can tell that you are going to do something worse. The book kept mentioning you so you probably had something to do with it." Hera shrugged and didn't say anything.

 **"We have a long history,"**

Annabeth rolled her eyesight, "Long doesn't even begin to describe it."

Percy smirked, "Duh."

Athena sighed, "Perseus Jackson! For the last time, 'duh', is not a word!"

Percy shrugged, "Whatever."

Ares started chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Athena glared at Ares before saying, "Percy, you have proven yourself loyal to the gods and goddesses so I will not kill you today."

 **Annabeth admitted. "I thought we'd made peace, but when Percy disappeared ... I got this weird dream vision from her."**

Athena shrugged, "That can be important Annabeth."

Annabeth nodded, "I know. No dreams should be ignored. Ever."

Hera smiled, "Thanks for listening to your advice."

Annabeth rolled her eyes (how does her eyes not get tired?), "I was probably doing it for my future boyfriend, Percy. I would never listen to you Hera. If he becomes my boyfriend of course." Hera kept silent.

Travis couldn't help but shout, "Burn!" The whole camp began laughing. The gods and goddesses joined.

Demeter turned to Hera, "You need more cereal." Everyone laughed harder but Hera was fuming.

 **"Telling you to come get us," Piper said. "But you thought Percy would be there."**

 **"It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now."**

Annabeth nodded, "Nor now."

 **Piper looked down the base of the doors. "So who goes in here?"**

Percy shrugged, "I could but most people don't like Hera-"

Hera exclaimed, "Perseus!"

"So they don't exactly care about her cabin." Peacocks began forming and began to charge at Percy. Percy didn't move as the peacocks pecked his legs. He simply picked up the peacocks and gave them to Hera. Hera glared and made the peacocks disappear into thin air.

 **"No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in."**

 **"Someone does." Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily.**

Tiana, another daughter of Athena, said, "That's not a good idea. I don't think that they should go in."

 **Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"**

Travis laughed, "Once a daughter of Athena, always a daughter of Athena." Tiana walked to him and slapped him before returning to her seat.

Connor asked, "Why didn't you say anything? Are you deaf or something?"

Tiana raised an eyebrow, "I prefer to not waste my energy to speak to two stupid and ignorant boys." She glared at every boy in there that's stupid, which was almost everyone.

Artemis saw her opening, "Tiana, would you like to join the Hunt?"

Tiana nodded, "Anything to get away from those boys."

The demigod took a deep breath and said, "I, Tiana Goldsberg, pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept enternal maidenship, and join the hunt."

Artemis turned to the silver flame dedicated to her, "I accept." The flames burst and a bright light flashed. After a few minutes, the lights faded. Tiana looked liked a Hunter now and turned to Artemis.

Artemis looked at Athena before announcing, "Lady Athena often talks to her children in dreams, one at a time. Each time one of her children joins the hunt, she speaks to them personally in a vision since Lord Zeus usually doesn't allow face to face contract. Since we aren't in Olympus, Athena can say what she wants to say to the new Hunter and her child." Everyone looked at Athena, admiring her. The gods and goddesses were wondering if they should do the same. Artemis had made it sound like Athena cared for her children, unlike some who just leave them alone.

Athena shrank to human size and walked to Tiana, "Very well Lady Artemis. Tiana, are you certain that you want to be in this hunt?"

Tiana nodded, "Yes mom. I think that this is the right choice for me."

Athena nodded, "Remember, you have one day to turn back with consequences. After that, it would be too late to turn back. If you think that this is where you belong, I think that you should join. Chose wisely."

Tiana nodded, "I'm certain this is where I belong. Thanks mom."

Athena nodded, "Very well. I will watch over you and the hunt, like I always do. I will talk to you sometime again, assuming that you would still be alive. Be careful Tiana." Athena returned back to her seat and Tiana sat with the other Hunters who were welcoming her. Hestia smiled, glad that she wasn't the only one that looked after everything. It could be overwhelming at times.

 **"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?"**

Percy nodded, "Yeah, my life has been nothing but dangerous."

Annabeth sighed, "That's because you are too reckless to go with a plan Percy."

Percy shrugged, "My plan isn't to just wing it."

 **And Piper walked inside.**

 **Hera's cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live.**

Hera shrugged, "Well, I don't plan on cheating my husband at any time. Unlike some husbands who cheat on their wives." Everyone glanced at Zeus.

 **It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. Piper had always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human—except huge. Hera's piercing eyes seemed to follow Piper.**

 **At the goddess's feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier. Piper wondered who tended it if the cabin was always empty. A stone hawk sat on Hera's shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess's hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating**

Annabeth nodded, "Sounds like Hera for sure. She's always cold."

Hera frowned, "Annabeth Chase, it is Lady Hera."

 **as if she were saying: Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you.**

Hera's eyes widened in surprise "I would never step on my children."

Hephaestus rolled his eyes, "But you would throw them off the cliff."

 **There was nothing else in the cabin—no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded Piper of a tomb.**

 **No, this wasn't her mom. At least Piper was sure of that. She hadn't come in here because she felt a good connection, but because her sense of dread was stronger here. Her dream—that horrible ultimatum she'd been handed—had something to do with this cabin.**

 **She froze. They weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.**

Apollo stammered, "Bu-But m-my Ora-Oracle is d-de-dead!"

Leo raised an eyebrow, "Don't worry you will have a new Oracle because Percy helped you with something to break Hades' curse from the last Oracle. But that Oracle didn't come back to life. She is dead. But there should a new one named Rachel. I think you will, grow fond of her. Before you ask, she is completely mortal."

Percy gasped, "Rachel become the Oracle?"

Leo nodded, "Yeah."

 **Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"**

 **The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn't go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at all.**

Percy nodded, "Thats definitely Rachel. I would know her anywhere."

 **She looked about seventeen, a totally normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles. Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.**

 **"Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could."**

 **They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera, until finally Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.**

Athena raised an eyebrow, "Annabeth, next time, introduce her to the new camper. You're being quite rude there."

 **"I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."**

Percy smirked, "Looks like she did do that in the future. And she introduced them better than what she said to me the first time. She had told me when we first met that I drool in my sleep."

Annabeth nodded, "Yes Percy, you do drool in your sleep and you shouldn't. You are sixteen and wouldn't it be a little... Strange? If you kept drooling in your sleep?"

Grover laughed, "Sorry Percy but its true."

Percy jumped, "Grover! You're back!" They hugged.

 **"The friend who lives in the cave," Piper guessed.**

Leo laughed, "Her first words are, 'The friend who lives in the caves', not 'how are you' or 'nice rob meet you. Typical Piper."

 **Rachel grinned. "That's me."  
**

 **"So you're an oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"**

Thalia nodded, "Oracles can always tell the future. For demigods, it's just random things that had either happened, is happening, or will happen. It serves to protect the demigod. Meanwhile, prophecies sent them on crazy adventures where you need to be alert every single second."

 **"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and** **speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."**

Percy quoted, "'That doesn't make sense to anybody'. All of my prophecies were like that. It's actually really sad about the fact that it's now normal for most demigods. Our lives opere the definition of crazy."

 **"Oh." Piper shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool."**

Leo shrugged, "I can tell by her reaction that she thinks it's very strange and creepy."

 **Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."**

Travis laughed, "She said always."

Percy thought for a moment before saying, "She did hit Kronos with a plastic blue hair brush before." Connor's mouth opened I now shock.

 **"You're a demigod?"**

 **"Nope," Rachel said. "Just mortal."**

 **"Then what are you ..." Piper waved her hand around the room.**

Athena nodded with approval, "Good question. It's about time when we find out why they are in Hera's cabin." Hera glared a tree Athena.

The goddess of wisdom rolled her eyes, "Sorry. Lady Hera."

 **Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're** **connected somehow.**

Annabeth stood up and stormed to Hera, "You made my friend who's saved Olympus from the Titan of time and you made him disappear?! Are you completely out of your mind or something?" Hera didn't reply.

 **I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."**

Percy screamed, "Again?! Zeus, you promised to keep the borders open!"

 **"Went silent?" Piper asked.**

 **Rachel frowned at Annabeth. "You haven't told her yet?"**

Percy winked, "Too busy thinking of me I guess. After all, I am adorable to all ladies." Tiana was fuming. She drew an arrow and targeted two milimeters from Percy Andy hit the wall, sending him a warning, and the Hunters laughed.

 **"I was getting to that,"**

Percy laughed, "Sure you were."

 **Annabeth said. "Piper, for the last month ... well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much,**

Some of the demigods muttered, "My mother or father didn't even claim me, never mind giving me a message."

Percy shuddered, "Trust me, you don't want any messages."

 **but usually we** **can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."**

 **"Excuse me?"**

 **"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."**

 **"Oh," Piper said. "Sure, why not?"**

Leo stated, "I bet that Piper is completely thinking that this is a weird dream and wonders how crazy it couldn't get."

Annabeth nodded in surprise, "Leo! That's actually a smart suggestion!"

Leo put a hand to his heart, "Are you implying that I'm not smart Annabeth?"

Annabeth laughed, "Of course not!" (A/N- should there be a Lebeth? Leo X Annabeth in other words?)

 **"Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the** **salad bar—"**

Percy shook his head, "No way I'm going into the creepy salad bar with all those healthy and green food. There is no blue salad. Otherwise, my health would be perfect!"

Athena and Demeter whispered a few things and Demeter nodded before disappearing. A few minutes later, Demeter appeared with blue salad and blue cereal. She gave them to Percy who regretfully ate it slowly.

 **"Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like** **the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers,**

Athena turned to her cabin, "Sorry then. There must have been something on my mind. Something that kept me away."

 **and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."**

 **"Your camp director was the god of...wine?"**

Dionysus began dancing, "You said was! No more punishments! Yay!"

 **"Yeah,it's a—"**

 **"Long story," Piper guessed. "Right. Go on."**

 **"That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed,**

Percy's eyes widened with shock, "Hades's underpants! You kept your promise!"

Hades raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Annabeth stifled laughter, "Sorry Lord Hades. Percy has some really bad sayings."

 **but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It's like something has happened —something really bad. Then Percy disappeared."**

Leo glared at Hera. Athena followed Leo's gaze and narrowed her eyes, thinking.

 **"And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."**

 **"Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.**

 **"My—" Piper stopped herself before she could say "boyfriend," but the effort made her chest hurt.**

Aphrodite squealed, "Jiper! Team Jiper!" Everyone facepalmed besides Percy.

Percy asked, "What? What's Jiper? Is there a person named Jiper?"

Aphrodite giggled, "No silly! Jiper is the name for Jason and Piper! I will make sure that they will get married! They seem so perfect with each other!"

 **"My friend. But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a** **dream vision."**

Hera growled, "It is Lady Hera." No one said anything.

 **"Right," Annabeth said. "The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess,**

Hera crossed her arms, "Excuse me Annabeth?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Even though you might like it, the wisdom can hurt a lot. There's a reason why people say ignorance is a bless but it's true, you are the least helpful goddess."

 **and she contacts me, her least** **favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."**

 **"Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that she knew what was happening—at least part of the story.**

Athena nodded, "Piper should tell them everything... From the dream. Most demigod dreams are true so I'm guessing that this one would also be true."

 **And the bad stuff was only beginning.**

Leo said with sarcasm, "Such optimism Pipes!"

Annabeth asked, "Pipes?"

Leo laughed, "Yeah, that's my nickname for her."

Athena sighed, "Its 'yes', not 'yeah'."

Leo shrugged, "Whatever."

 **"Guys," she said. "I—I need to—"**

 **Before she could continue, Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders.** **Piper tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.**

 ** _Free me_ , she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe.**

Athena's eyes widened, "Someone is trying to send a message!"

Leo glared at Hera, "And think that we all know who it is."

Tiana nodded, "It's definitely Hera."

Hera asked, "And how do you know, daughter of Athena?"

Tiana shrugged, "Because Leo is from the future and he's glaring at you. Of course, he might be lying but my Athena sense is detecting that it's the truth."

 ** _Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us._**

Athena's eyes widened, "The earth. No... It can't be... Leo, is it Gaea?" Leo nodded but didn't say anything.

 ** _It must be by the solstice._**

Percy asked, "What's up with the solstice! Every quest has a deadline and every deadline there is, is on the solstice!"

 **The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped them, and Piper was no longer sure if she was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over Piper, its eyes boring into her. The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume.**

Percy nodded, "Definitely Hera."

Annabeth nodded, "That subtracts points for Hera in my favorite Olympian chart." Annabeth took out the chart and a pencil and began to edit the list.

 **It spoke in the same echoing voice: _Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!_**

Athena bit her lip, "It sounds like Hera has been captured by something. The fiery one... Something to do with the bane of Hephaestus maybe? He is the god of fire after all."

 **Piper's knees buckled, and everything went black.**

Hades stopped reading, "That's the end of the chapter. Who's next?"

Percy raised his hand, "I will."

Annabeth asked in total shock, "You can read?!"


End file.
